Wang Xiang

Historical Record

Wang Xiang, styled Xiuzheng, was a native of Langya. He was renowned for his utmost filial piety, especially shown in his deference toward his stepmother. According to Sun Sheng's Zayu (Miscellaneous Sayings), his stepmother was harsh by nature and repeatedly sought to harm him, yet he always served her with filial devotion and never slackened. In the depth of winter, when his stepmother craved fresh fish, Wang Xiang stripped off his clothes and tried to break the ice to catch fish. Remarkably, the ice melted of itself, fish leapt out, and he obtained them to nourish his stepmother. People of the time all held that this was brought about by his filial heart moving heaven and earth. Wang Xiang served his stepmother for more than thirty years, and only after her death did he begin to take office; his honest and sincere character won the deep respect of his contemporaries ^c:2801.

Wang Xiang was already over fifty when he took office, and his rank gradually rose to Colonel-Director of Retainers. When the Duke of Gaogui Township entered the academy, Wang Xiang was appointed one of the Three Elders. Thereafter he held high offices in succession, including Minister of Works and Grand Commandant. When Prince Wen of Sima (Sima Zhao) was first enfeoffed as Prince of Jin, the Minister of Works Xun Yi demanded that Wang Xiang pay him full reverence, but Wang Xiang did not comply—an affair recorded in the "Annals of the Three Young Emperors" ^c:2801.

After Emperor Wen of Wei, Cao Pi, came to the throne, Wang Xiang was additionally appointed Assistant General, granted the title Marquis of Yishou Precinct, and transferred to Inspector of Xu Province with the additional rank of General Who Awes the Caitiffs. During this period he requested that Wang Xiang of Langya serve as his Aide, entrusting all civil affairs to him, and people of the time mostly praised his skill in employing worthy men. Wang Xiang also campaigned against the rebels of Licheng, taking a great many captives and winning military merit. After Emperor Ming came to the throne, Wang Xiang was re-enfeoffed as Marquis of Wannian Precinct, with an additional two hundred households, making six hundred households in all together with the earlier grant. After Lu Qian died, his son Lü Fan succeeded to the title; after Lü Fan died, his son Lü Gui succeeded to it ^c:2801.

After Emperor Wu of Jin, Sima Yan, ascended the throne, Wang Xiang was appointed Grand Guardian and enfeoffed as Duke of Suiling. In the fourth year of Taishi (268 CE), Wang Xiang died at the venerable age of eighty-nine. His younger brother Wang Lan, styled Xuantong, rose to the office of Grandee of the Palace of Brilliance. The Jin Zhugong Zan (Eulogies of the Various Dukes of Jin) says that Wang Lan had always shown the utmost conduct. The descendants of Wang Lan flourished and multiplied, producing worthy men one after another; the prosperity of his family was such as few in any age, past or present, could match ^c:2801.

In the Novel

In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Wang Xiang is portrayed more as a wise and perceptive senior minister of the court, especially in his judgment of the times and his remonstrances to the Sima family. In the novel, Wang Xiang first appears when Zhong Hui sets out to campaign against Shu ^c:5937. As the officials saw him off—banners blotting out the sky, men and horses strong and vigorous—everyone admired Zhong Hui's imposing array; only the Chancellor's adviser Liu Shi smiled and said nothing. When the Grand Commandant Wang Xiang saw Liu Shi smiling coldly, he took his hand from horseback and asked whether Zhong Hui and Deng Ai, going on this campaign, could pacify Shu. Liu Shi answered, "Shu will surely be broken; but I fear none of them will return to the capital." Wang Xiang pressed him for the reason, but Liu Shi only smiled without answering, and Wang Xiang asked no further ^c:5937. This episode shows Wang Xiang's keen powers of observation and his probing into the deeper thoughts of others, while also foreshadowing Liu Shi's prophecy and indirectly setting off Wang Xiang's image as a man of discernment.

Another important appearance of Wang Xiang in the novel comes when Sima Zhao, after being enfeoffed as Prince of Jin, wished to make his younger brother Sima You his heir ^c:12739. At that time the ministers Shan Tao, Jia Chong, He Zeng, and Pei Xiu all advised Sima Zhao to make his eldest son Sima Yan the heir. The Grand Commandant Wang Xiang and the Minister of Works Xun Yi also remonstrated together, pointing out, "In former ages, setting up the younger often brought disorder to the state. May Your Highness consider this." In the end, Sima Zhao heeded their advice and made his eldest son Sima Yan his heir ^c:12739. This episode not only highlights Wang Xiang's standing and influence at court but also underscores that, as a loyal and far-sighted minister, he could offer the right counsel at critical moments and safeguard the state's stability.

Compared with the historical materials' emphasis on his filial conduct and early career, the Romance of the Three Kingdoms focuses more on Wang Xiang's participation and judgment as a senior minister in political affairs, especially the wisdom and uprightness he displays against the backdrop of the Sima clan's monopoly on power. The novel does not mention his filial deeds such as "lying on the ice to seek carp," but instead portrays him as a refined elder who plays a part on the political stage.

Key Relationships

* Lu Qian (serves): History records that Wang Xiang was additionally appointed Assistant General by Emperor Wen of Wei, enfeoffed as Marquis of Yishou Precinct, transferred to Inspector of Xu Province, and given the additional rank of General Who Awes the Caitiffs. During this period he requested Wang Xiang of Langya as his Aide, entrusting all civil affairs to him ^c:2801. The "Wang Xiang of Langya" here is not the same person as the subject of this biography, but Lu Qian, as a colleague or superior in Wang Xiang's career, is connected with him in the historical record. After Lu Qian's death, his descendants succeeded to his title, which also reflects from the side the Cao Wei bureaucratic system in which Wang Xiang served.
* Cao Wei (serves): Wang Xiang's career began in the Cao Wei period; after Emperor Wen, Cao Pi, came to the throne, he received additional enfeoffment and office ^c:2801. After Emperor Ming, Cao Rui, came to the throne, Wang Xiang was re-enfeoffed. This shows that Wang Xiang was an important official of the Cao Wei regime, his political career tightly bound to the Cao Wei dynasty.
* Liu Shi (smiling coldly, took his hand and questioned him): In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, there is a meaningful exchange between Wang Xiang and Liu Shi. Seeing Liu Shi smiling and saying nothing about Zhong Hui's campaign against Shu, Wang Xiang took the initiative to question him, showing Wang Xiang's keen insight into the times and his probing into the deeper thoughts of others ^c:5937 (novel only).
* Sima Zhao (remonstrating): In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Wang Xiang, together with Xun Yi, remonstrated with Sima Zhao to make his eldest son Sima Yan the heir rather than his younger brother Sima You, emphasizing that "in former ages, setting up the younger often brought disorder to the state" ^c:12739 (novel only). This reflects Wang Xiang's clear understanding and sense of responsibility, as a senior minister, for the long-term development of the state.

Signature Scenes

* Lying on the ice to seek carp: This is Wang Xiang's most representative filial deed. In the depth of winter, to satisfy his stepmother's wish to eat fresh fish, Wang Xiang stripped off his clothes to break the ice; in the end he moved heaven, the ice melted of itself, and fish leapt out. This scene profoundly displays Wang Xiang's utmost filial character and became a model of filial piety for later generations ^c:2801. Although this episode is not mentioned in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, in the historical tradition it is without doubt the most celebrated signature event of Wang Xiang's life.

* Questioning Liu Shi on the outcome of the campaign against Shu: In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, when Zhong Hui set out to campaign against Shu, Wang Xiang saw the Chancellor's adviser Liu Shi smiling coldly without speaking and took the initiative to ask his view on the campaign's prospects. Liu Shi prophesied, "Shu will surely be broken; but I fear none of them will return to the capital." Wang Xiang pressed him for the reason, but Liu Shi smiled without answering, and Wang Xiang asked no further ^c:5937. This scene displays Wang Xiang's keen insight and reflection on the complex political situation, and also foreshadows the fates of Zhong Hui and Deng Ai, highlighting his image as a man of discernment (novel only).

* Remonstrating with Sima Zhao over the heir: In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, when Sima Zhao wished to make Sima You his heir, Wang Xiang, together with the Minister of Works Xun Yi, remonstrated, pointing out that "in former ages, setting up the younger often brought disorder to the state," and strongly urged that the eldest son Sima Yan be made heir. In the end, Sima Zhao heeded their advice and made Sima Yan his heir ^c:12739. This scene highlights Wang Xiang's political wisdom and influence as a senior minister; his counsel at the critical moment played an important role in the stability of the Jin dynasty (novel only).